There are 6 owner-reported engine complaints for the 2009 Chevrolet Silveradoin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
WHILE DRIVING MY 2009 SILVERADO AT 33,000 MILES I NOTICED THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WENT ON AND IT WAS RUNNING ROUGH. AFTER TAKING TO THE DEALERSHIP IT WAS DETERMINED THE #7 CYLINDER WAS NOT WORKING. ACCORDING TO THE MECHANIC THE AFM FOR THE 5.3 LITER ENGINES HAS AN OIL CONSUMPTION ISSUE. HALF OF THE ENGINE WAS REBUILT DUE TO THE AMOUNT OF CARBON BUILT UP INSIDE THE ENGINE. AGAIN AT 78,000 MILES THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WENT ON AGAIN. THIS TIME THE DEALERSHIP HAD THE VEHICLE FOR 2 WEEKS TO AND DETERMINED THE ENGINE HAD EXCESSIVE CARBON BUILD UP AND A ENGINE SOAK WAS PERFORMED ALONG WITH SPLASH GUARDS ADDED TO THE VALVE COVERS TO KEEP THE ENGINE OIL FROM ESCAPING AS THE AFM WAS OPEARTIONAL. AT 98,000 MILES THE OIL PRESSURE SENSOR AND THE VALVE COVER GASKET HAD TO BE REPLACED. NOW, AT 140,000 MILES THE WATER PUMP, CRANK SHAFT AND BEARINGS HAD TO BE REPLACED. THE DEALERSHIP SAID I NEEDED A NEW ENGINE BECAUSE THEY WOULD NOT REBUILD THE ENGINE DUE TO THE MILEAGE. I HAVE CHANGED THE OIL EVERY 3,000 MILES AND STARTED USING FULL SYNTHETIC MOTOR OIL SINCE MY ENGINE ISSUES AT 33,000 MILES. GM IS AWARE OF THIS ISSUE WITH THE AFM AND CONTINUES TO DO NOTHING. I CONTACT GM CUSTOMER CARE AND THEY STATED THAT MY TRUCK HASN'T BEEN SEEN AT A DEALERSHIP IN OVER A YEAR, THEY WILL NOT ASSIST IN THE COST OF REPLACING THE ENGINE. BUT, THEY WILL GIVE ME A $1,000 CREDIT TOWARDS A NEW VEHILCE. INSTEAD OF FIXING THE PROBLEM, GM JUST TURNS THERE HEADS ON THE ENGINE PROBLEMS AND EXPECTS YOU TO PAY FOR A NEW GM VEHICLE. GM STAND BEHIND YOUR PRODUCT!!!!
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 CHEVROLET SILVERADO. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH, THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED AND THE AIR CONDITIONER TURNED OFF WARNING INDICATOR FLASHED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE THERMOSTAT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 54,000.
THE FIRST INCIDENT OCCURRED WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE ON THE HIGHWAY. THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND THE DASH READOUT GAVE A LOW OIL PRESSURE WARNING. THE TRUCK WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER. THEY SAID IT WAS A BAD OIL PRESSURE SENSOR AND REPLACED IT AT A COST OF APPROXIMATELY $450.00. FIVE MONTHS LATER THE SAME PROBLEM HAPPENED AGAIN WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY TOWING A HORSE TRAILER. I AGAIN HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED INTO THE DEALER. THEY SAID THE OIL WAS LOW AND DID AN OIL CHANGE. THE WARNING LIGHT WAS OFF WHEN WE GOT THE TRUCK BACK. THE LATEST INCIDENT HAPPENED ON 4/18/2015. THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN. I BROUGHT THE TRUCK TO AN AUTO PARTS STORE WHERE THEY READ THE FAULT CODE. THE CODE IS P0521 - OIL PRESSURE SENSOR OR OIL LOW. I CHECKED THE OIL IT WAS NEARLY FULL BUT I ADDED A LITTLE ANYWAY. THE LIGHT STAYED ON. I MADE AN APPOINTMENT AT THE DEALER. THE LIGHT WENT OFF THE DAY BEFORE OUR APPOINTMENT. I BROUGHT THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND NOW THEY ARE TELLING ME THAT THE TRUCK PROBABLY NEEDS AN OIL PUMP AND A VALVE COVER AND IT WILL COST APPROXIMATELY $1075.00 TO FIX. I HAVE DONE EXTENSIVE RESEARCH ON THIS PROBLEM ON THE INTERNET. THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF OWNER COMPLAINTS ON VARIOUS WEBSITES DOCUMENTING THE SAME PROBLEM I AM HAVING. THERE APPEARS TO BE A DEFECT IN THE DESIGN OF THE OIL SYSTEM IN THESE VEHICLES. MY TRUCK JUST WENT OUT OF WARRANTY IN DECEMBER 2014. THEY WANT ME TO PAY FOR THIS REPAIR EVEN THOUGH I HAVE ALREADY PAID FOR REPAIRS FOR THE SAME PROBLEM WHILE IT WAS UNDER WARRANTY. THIS APPEARS TO BE A SERIOUS PRODUCT DEFECT AND GM SHOULD ISSUE A RECALL. *TR
DRIVING DOWN HIGHWAY, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT POPS UP, TRACTIONS CONTROL INDICATOR LIGHT, ALONG WITH DIGITAL DISPLAY SAYING SEVERAL THINGS. SUCH AS, ENGINE REDUCED POWER, SERVICE TRACTION CONTROL SOON..........PULLED OVER, HAD A VERY ROUGH IDLE. MADE IT TO PARTS STORE AND HAVE THE TRUCK SCANNED. TURNS OUT IT NEED THE THROTTLE POSITIONING SENSOR NEEDS REPLACED. HAD THEM CLEAR THE CODE, DROVE FEW MORE MILES AND ALL HAPPENS AGAIN. *TR
EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION AT OR ABOVE 1 QUART OF OIL PER 1,000 MILES. ALL PLUGS FOULED OUT AT 39,000 MILES AND ONE PLUG CRACKED. I CHANGE OIL EVERY 3,500 MILES AND REGULARLY TOP OFF OIL. THERE IS NO LEAKING OIL BUT IT IS SOMEHOW VAPORIZING RAPIDLY. THERE WAS NO REASON FOR THE VEHICLE TO FAIL LIKE THIS AT THIS STAGE IN ITS LIFE. CHEVY HAS COME TO STATE IN A BULLETIN CONCERNING A TWEAK TO THE VALVE COVERS TO KEEP THE OIL FROM VAPORIZING. CHEVY HAS EVEN MORE RECENTLY COME OUT WITH A RECALL AS OF 1/17/2012 TO ANNOUNCE THERE IS A LEGITIMATE ISSUE WITH THE OIL CONSUMPTION ON THIS MODEL CHEVY. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE AND GM SHOULD PAY FOR ANY CURRENT DAMAGE TO THE TRUCK, WORN PARTS AND ALL. *TR
AT 46,487 MILES HAD TO SPEND $415.75 TO CORRECT ENGINE LIGHT COMING ON. NOW DOOR CHIME COMES ON AT RANDOM TIMES WHEN KEY IS NOT IN IGNITION. *KB
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 25, 2026